Wisconsin wants to become a leader in COVID-19-tests-per-capita and wants to ramp up testing in rural areas.
Wisconsin’s state government has provided more than 60,000 tests to hospitals, clinics, and local public health departments, it announced Monday.
Those efforts will continue to increase, said Gov. Tony Evers.
“Wisconsin is geared up to provide 85,000 COVID-19 tests per week. This will ensure that everybody in Wisconsin that needs a test receives a test. We are one of the top states in COVID-19 testing capacity, and our goal is to ensure that we are one of the top states in actual testing per capita,” he said.
Over the last several days, the state has announced several free drive-thru community testing sites, most in northwestern Wisconsin.
Department of Health Services Sec.-designee Andrea Palm said her agency wants even more information about the status of the virus in rural areas.
“We have significant portions of the state that are testing at a rate that is well below what would allow us to understand what the spread of the disease and what the prevalence of the disease is in communities,” Palm said. “That includes many, many of the rural counties in the state.”
In a media briefing Monday, Tami Burns, a nurse at a Madison dialysis center, pleaded with people to follow health guidelines.
“I’d like to ask everyone to continue to social-distance. If you’re an essential worker, wear a mask to work. If you need to leave home for something, bring a mask with you and wear it when in public. It make not feel like contributing, but it is contributing,” Burns said.
The state passed 8,000 positive tests on Monday. It now has 340 COVID-19 tests.
